Heineken Experience Review: Is the Tour and Rooftop Worth It?
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
What Is the Heineken Experience?
The Heineken Experience is an interactive tour inside the original Heineken brewery in Amsterdam. Beer was brewed here for nearly 100 years before production moved to a larger facility in 1988. Today, the historic building has been transformed into a museum and interactive experience where you can learn about Heineken’s history, how its beer is made, and the role the brewery played in Amsterdam.
We spent about 2 to 2½ hours at the Heineken Experience, including the rooftop experience, and there was much more to do than simply walk through a brewery. Between the interactive exhibits, games, beer tasting, and plenty of photo opportunities, it turned out to be a really fun couple of hours in Amsterdam.
If you’d like to check out the Heineken Experience for yourself, you can find tickets here.
If you’re planning If you’re planning a few days in Amsterdam, you can also see how we fit the Heineken Experience into our 3 Days in Amsterdam itinerary.
Our Heineken Experience Tour
Exploring the Original Heineken Brewery
The tour takes you through the original brewery, with interactive exhibits showing how the ingredients were mixed and how the beer was made. One of my favorite parts was seeing the enormous copper brewing vessels. They are impressive in person and make it easy to imagine what this building was like when beer was actually being produced here.
You’ll also see how Heineken’s bottles and labels have changed over the years, which was a fun glimpse into the history of the brand.
There are interactive activities throughout the tour, including a station where you can create your own Heineken beer label. And if you like picking up souvenirs, the gift shop is worth a look. It’s much more interesting than your typical museum gift shop, with plenty of Heineken-themed items.
How Heineken Beer Is Made
The tour walks you through the basic ingredients and brewing process, with interactive displays that make the information easy to follow. I especially liked that you weren’t just reading signs—you were actually seeing and experiencing the different stages of the process.
One of the more unique parts is a “ride” that lets you imagine you’re a beer bottle moving through the production process. Huge screens surround you with visuals of each step, making it feel like you’re traveling through the brewery along with the beer.
I also learned a few things about what makes Heineken distinctive, including the role its brewing process plays in creating its characteristic bubbles.
How Beer Was Transported Through Amsterdam
The location of the original brewery makes this part of the tour especially interesting. There is a canal directly in front of the building, and Amsterdam’s waterways played an important role in transporting goods around the city.
Ingredients could arrive by canal, and finished beer could be transported the same way. Seeing the canal right outside the old brewery helped put into perspective just how important Amsterdam’s waterways were to the business.
The Interactive Game Room
This was probably one of the liveliest parts of the Heineken Experience. After learning about the beer, you get the chance to play.
There’s a bike activity where you pedal through a virtual beer delivery route, and your video is even emailed to you afterward. There’s also a giant Connect 4 and tabletop shuffleboard.
The game area also becomes a place to hang out and enjoy your beer toward the end of the tour. It gives the experience more of a social, relaxed feel rather than making it feel like you’re simply moving from one exhibit to the next.
Pouring and Sealing Your Own Beer
At the end of the tour, you can either have a bartender pour your beer or try your hand at pouring it yourself. My husband, of course, wanted to pour his own.
A guide first explains how to use the official tap, and then four tour participants at a time get their chance. There’s a little friendly competition to see who can get the best pour with just the right amount of foam.
Once the beer is poured, you’re taught how to “seal” it using a plastic straightedge. It’s a small part of the experience, but it’s one of those interactive touches that makes the Heineken Experience more memorable than simply being handed a drink at the end.
The Heineken Rooftop Experience
After the main tour, you walk through the gift shop and head toward the exit. If you didn’t add the rooftop experience, this is where your visit ends.
If you did add it, you’ll head upstairs to the rooftop bar instead.
What’s Included with the Rooftop Experience
We added the rooftop experience, and for us, it was another reason to stick around after the main tour.
At the rooftop bar, there are unique ways to enjoy Heineken, including different beer varieties and options like flavored nitro foam. The rooftop experience includes two additional beers, and you can spend as much time as you want up there enjoying your drinks and taking in the views of Amsterdam.
After the more active parts of the experience, it was a nice place to slow down and relax.
Enjoying a 0.0 Beer With a View
Something unexpected happened between booking the experience and actually doing it: I gave up drinking.
I had expected my husband to enjoy the beers that came with our tickets while I sat that part out. But I was pleasantly surprised to find that the rooftop bar pours Heineken 0.0.
Instead of sitting on the sidelines, I was able to have a 0.0 of my own and enjoy a beer with a view right alongside my husband.
It was such a fun surprise and made the rooftop experience much more enjoyable for me.
This is the tour and rooftop experience we booked.
Rooftop Views and Photo Opportunities
The Heineken Experience has photo opportunities around almost every corner. There are bright green bottles, fun backdrops, white walls, and pops of red from the Heineken star.
The rooftop gives you a completely different setting, with views over Amsterdam and plenty of opportunities to take a few more photos before heading out.
How Long Does the Heineken Experience Take?
We spent about 2 to 2½ hours at the Heineken Experience, including the tour, playing games in the game room, and relaxing on the rooftop.
With all of the interactive elements, it was easy to spend more than an hour exploring. This isn’t just a museum where you walk from one display to the next — it gives you plenty of opportunities to stop, participate, and have some fun along the way.
Is the Heineken Experience Worth Visiting?
We enjoyed it. It’s lively and interactive, with lots to see and do and plenty of great photo opportunities. Overall, it was a fun way to spend a couple of hours in Amsterdam.
I wouldn’t say it’s a must-do, but if you’re interested in the Heineken brand or looking for something interactive to add to your Amsterdam itinerary, it’s a pretty fun way to spend part of a day.
We visited on the same day we were embarking on a Rhine River cruise, so for us, it was an easy and relaxing way to spend a late morning before we boarded.
If you’re doing something similar, you may also want to read our Viking Rhine River Cruise review, where we share what the cruise was actually like from Amsterdam to Basel.
Is the Heineken Experience Worth It If You Don’t Drink?
This is a tour and museum centered around a brewery, so drinking beer is certainly emphasized. But there’s also quite a bit to learn about the process of making, bottling, and transporting beer, along with the history of Heineken.
I found the tour very entertaining, even though I don’t drink. I especially enjoyed seeing the huge copper brewing vessels and all of the interactive parts of the experience. There’s plenty to see and do beyond simply drinking the beer.
The fact that they offer Heineken 0.0 was also such a fun surprise for me. I could still enjoy a beer on the rooftop with my husband and be part of that experience with him.
So while beer is definitely a big part of the Heineken Experience, you don’t have to drink alcohol to enjoy the tour.
Tips for Visiting the Heineken Experience
Allow About 2 to 2½ Hours
The Heineken Experience is a walking tour, with plenty of stops along the way, so wear comfortable shoes. Give yourself at least a couple of hours if you want to take your time, play the games, and enjoy the experience rather than rushing through it.
Consider Adding the Rooftop Experience
The walking tour was enjoyable, but the rooftop experience was what really made the visit special for us.
Heineken also offers a canal cruise as an additional experience. We didn’t take the cruise, but we chatted with some people who did, and they said they enjoyed it.
Don’t Skip the Photo Opportunities
There are fun photo opportunities around almost every corner. Between the bright green bottles, colorful displays, and rooftop views, you’ll have plenty of chances to get some pictures.
The guides are also super friendly and quite willing to snap a photo for you, so don’t be afraid to ask.
You Can Enjoy the Experience Without Drinking Alcohol
If you don’t drink, you’ll still get to learn about the brewing process and the history of Heineken, all within the setting of Amsterdam’s original brewery.
The interactive nature of the experience makes it more than just a beer tasting, and the Heineken 0.0 option means you can still join in when it’s time to have a drink.
Planning a visit to the Heineken Experience? Save this pin to Pinterest so you can come back to our review, tips, and rooftop details when you’re planning your Amsterdam itinerary!
Final Thoughts on the Heineken Experience
The Heineken Experience was a fun, interactive way to spend a couple of hours in Amsterdam. Between the original brewery, interactive activities, photo opportunities, and rooftop, there was plenty to keep us interested.
Even as someone who doesn’t drink, I enjoyed the experience — and it turned out to be a particularly good way for us to spend a late morning before getting on our Rhine River cruise.
Planning Your Trip? Read Next: ✈️
- 3 Days in Amsterdam: Itinerary –Museums, canals, windmills & more
- Van Gogh Museum Review – Our visit & highlights
- E-Bike Day Trip to Zaanse Schans – Explore Amsterdam’s countryside
- Viking Rhine River Cruise itinerary – Spending time in Amsterdam before or after your cruise?
